Protests could soon be seen in the UK following the introduction of self-driving vehicle trials across the UK, following growing concerns about the technology in the United States.
Over the coming year, Britons will start to see autonomous vehicles driving as part of ride-sharing trials from brands like Waymo, Uber, Lyft, Wayve and Oxa.
However, the rollout of self-driving vehicles has not been smooth in all locations, with backlash to the vehicles being seen in the United States as taxi and private hire drivers making their feelings clear about the emerging technology.
The California Gig Workers Union has launched protests in several areas across the state to demand action from the state legislature to support workers amid the looming impact of autonomous hire vehicles.
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Earlier this month, CGWU drivers and allies of the Service Employees International Union held a rally outside the California Public Utilities Commission headquarters.
They claimed that robotaxis are not held accountable to the same rules as drivers, potentially posing a danger to other road users and even pedestrians.
A representative for the CGWU demanded that the CPIC "take the risk of autonomous vehicles seriously by establishing clear safety standards and real penalties for breaking them".
Last October, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law AB 1340, which handed gig drivers the right to unionise and bargain with Uber and Lyft after a decade-long campaigning effort.
Protests could take place across the UK ahead of the rollout of new self-driving trials across the United States
|GETTY/CALIFORNIA GIG WORKERS UNION
Members of the California Gig Workers Union demanded that the California Public Utilities Commission protect private hire drivers across the state
|CALIFORNIA GIG WORKERS UNION
Dan O'Dowd, founder of The Dawn Project, noted that Waymo was expanding across the United States, with plans to launch in London this year.
Alongside fleet operations partner Moove, Waymo will be bringing its fully autonomous ride-hailing service to the UK
Citing its success in the United States, the Waymo Driver has already travelled over 100 million fully autonomous miles on public roads while fulfilling 10 million paid rides.
Mr O'Dowd highlighted comments made by Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, who said autonomous Waymo vehicles complete more daily rides than 99 per cent of human drivers.
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He said: "Waymo markets its AVs as safer than a human driver and safety-conscious consumers may favour it over traditional taxi services.
"Waymo is quickly monopolising the robotaxi market in major taxi markets across the US and has already begun testing its robotaxis in other countries such as the UK and Japan.
"Waymo's prospects are looking good, its robotaxis are safer than a human driver and are able to work more hours than a human driver."
Chinese technology giant Baidu has partnered with ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft to bring its Apollo Go self-driving vehicles to the UK capital, having already launched in 22 cities across the globe.
Uber confirmed that it had partnered with Baidu's Apollo Go service to launch in the UK | UBERLabour has already given the green light for pilot schemes of self-driving passenger vehicles launching in the coming months, with estimates suggesting the industry could be £42billion by 2035.
A Waymo spokesperson told GB News: "Waymo is on a mission to be the world's most trusted driver, making it safe, more accessible and more sustainable for riders to get around.
"We serve hundreds of thousands of trips every week, offering a reliable transportation option to diverse groups of riders and improving road safety in cities where we operate.
"We remain committed to open dialogue with the communities we serve."